Process of distilling carbonaceous materials



Aug. 11, 1931., w. E. TRENT PROCESS OF DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS Filed Jan. 20, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11, 1931. w. E. TRENT 1,813,912

PROCESS DISTILLING CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS Filed Jan. 20, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if" I V'llllllllllll QANN Patented Aug. 11, ,1931

UNITED STATES- PLATFEVNT OFFICE warm EDWfiT TBENT, or m zw Your. 11. Y, nssmxoa we was rnocnss con reunion, or nnwyonx, 111. Y, a coerona'rron or DELAWARE 1 raoo ss or. ms'rrmznre cmonacnous murmurs Application filed Jam l-i 20, 1920. No. 32,501.

The invention relates to a process primaril adapted for carbonizing coals and the e, although applicable for the crackingof hydrocarbon oils.

It is an objectof the invention to provide a process in which the heat used for carrying out either the carbonizing or the cracking operation is stored within a container into which the materials to be treated are deposited.

The invention more specifically relates to a process of the batch type in which the treating chamber is so constructed that it may be heated to a high temperature and will absorb suflicient heat to cause a carbonization, heating, or cracking of various .materials such as coals, h drocarbon oils, etc. The process is also a licable for the heat treatment of other materials such as lime and limestone. 1

In carrying out the process the treating vessel is preferably highly heated whereupon the material to be treated is introduced therein and the absorbed or stored heat contained in the walls of the receptacle is suflicient to cause the introduced material to undergo.the desired treatment. 0

In carrying out my process I preferably heat a rotating chamber having walls of a substantial diameter to a temperature of say 700 C. or higher, whereupon I introduce to the heated chamber coal or the like to undergo carboni zation therein. The contained heat of the chamber therefore carbonizes the coal within fixed limits ofztemperature, givingthe carbonized product a uniform texture and extracting from the succeeding batches of material undergoing treatment a more or less uniform product of distillation. The invention is capable of being carried out in various types of apparatus, but in thefigure of the drawings I have illustrated a preferred form of apparatus.

. Fig. 1 is an end view of my apparatus, showingthe drum and its mounting.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

iron or other metal or materials capable of ,spaced track members 4 which engage the Fig. 3 is cross sectional view, as seen from the end, as in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail, partly in section, of the end closure of the drum. 1

Referring now more particularly to .the drawings wherein like reference characters indicatecorresponding parts, the numerals 1 designate supporting rollers which are mounted upon suitable shafts, two or more spaced pairs of these rollers being employed. The treating or carbonization chamber comprises a metallic cylinder 2 which is of a .very substantial thickness. The thickness of the cylinder, of course, depends upon the quantity of material that is to be treated and the temperatures to which this material should .be heated. 1 The walls of the cylinder should range in' thickness from 12 to 18 inches. The cylinder is constructed of cast absorbing and storing heat. Surrounding the c linder is an insulating jacket 3 of any suita 1e insulating material.

The cylinder is provided with a pair of power drivenrollers 1. The cylinder rotates on these track rollers during the operation of the device. At each side of the cylinder 2 there is provided a flange 5. Each flange has secured thereto a wall 6 by rivets or otherwise. 9

The cylinder at each end is rovided with removable heads 8 and 9. he removable head 8 is supported upon a circular angle flange 10. It isprovided with suitable detachable fasteners 11 which enter slots or the like in theflange 10 b means of which this head can be removed rom the cylinder. The cylinder carries a central extension 11' in which a pulverized oil or coal burner 12 is positioned. This burner, of course, is removably positioned in this head and when removed the extension 11 of the head is closed by a suitable door or any other form of closure. The head 9 is similarly secured by means of the flange .13 and carries a cou-. pled extension 14 communicating with a line 15 for-carrying from the container prod-. nets of combustion when the container is being heated and products of distillation 10 when the material therein is treatment.

The container is preferably rotated by driving the supporting wheels 1, although it undergoing .may also be rotated by a circular driving both removable heads are tightly connected with the container. If a pulverized coal burner is used and burned only to a state of incomplete combustion the carbonized residue collects within the interior 16 of the container. If oil is used the gaseous products, of course, pass out through the coupling 14 and line 15. The container is heated until the walls thereof approximate a temperature of about 700 C. When this temperature has been reached the burner is withdrawn and coal, oil, orany other material to be treated is introduced through an opening available upon the removal of the head 8 or through an independent opening closed by the door 16 in the removable head '8 of the container. During both the heating operation and the treating operation the container is continuously rotated by the mechanism hereinbefore described. If pulverized coal is introduced to the container the walls 2 thereof must be of such a mass that approximately 5 to 10 ounds of iron is found in the wall of the cy 'nder for each ound ofc'oal to be charged. With the cylinder wall at approximately 700 C. in temperature, the introduced coal. will under-= go a thorough carbonization with a drop in the tem rature of the walls of the container o about 200 C. During this treatment the volatiles removed are discharged fllrough the coupling 14- and the pipe 15.

If, for any reason, it is desirable to maintain the interior of the container under a superatmos'pheric pressure the valve .18 in the dischargeline 15 is rovided to retard the discharge of the prodhced gases so that a superatmospheric pressure of from v pounds upwards is maintained in the container. This ishighly desirable when the volatile products are to undergo a cracking treatment, it beingunderstood that a cracktemperature is maintained in the contamer.

After the material has been carbonized, assuming that 'coal. is to -be treated, one or both of the removable headsr8 or 9 are removed b .the detachable fasteners 11 and convert residue withdrawn from the container. These removable heads are then again placed in position, a burner inserted and the cylinder tube then heated to a temperature of 700 C. It will be understood that the temperatures employed depend may be uniformly largely'upon the materials being treated and the character of the operation bein practiced. With cracking operations ie atively higher temperatures will be used, while in the low temperature carbonization of coals and the like lower temperatures will be em-.

ployed, the temperature used in each opera- J tion being well known to; the workers skilled in the art. If coal is being carbonized it will be appreciated that it undergoes treatment within fixed limits'of temperatures,

that is to say, it is introduced to the con tainer when it is heated to its desired maximum temperature and withdrawn from the container when this temperature drops to a predetermined minimum. This, results in a production of a carbonized product of a uniform texture. Eorinstance, the product and likewise the volatile product recovered is of a substantially uniform content. The

soft "for carbonization temperatures employed may," asbefore 1 stated, be high or low,'and, for instance, if secondary distillation products are desired, a high range of temperatures may be used. The process is practiced at all times as a batch process, the container be' heated at one time, after which the heatlng devices are withdrawn and the material to be treated introduced to the container. Plastic masses of coal and oil constitute an ideal mixture to be carbonized in the container, although it is apparent that any type of fuel or in fact other products can be treated. If pulverized coal is being utilized as a fuel that portion of the coal that isreduced to a carbonized residue will collect'inthe container during the heating operation and thereby augment the supply of coke Iater produced during a distilling operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

- 1. A carbonizing process which comprisesstoring a,suflicient quantity of heat in a heat thereto from the container, mov' v said container whilesubstantially preventing the escape of heat through the :walls of said con tamer during thecarbonization of the material therein, removing from mid container terial, and upon completion of the carboni zation removing from said container and collecting the carbonized residue.

2. A. carbonizing process which comprises sto a sufiicient quantit of heat in a heat absorbing container to car nize'a predeterthe vapors and gases evolved from the mamined quantity of solid material by the direct application of heat thereto, discontinuing the application of heat to said container and introducing thereinto a charge of solid carbonaceous material having a volatile hydrocarbon content, maintaining carbonizing conditions within said container and thereby carbonizing said material byheat transferred thereto from the container while substantially preventing the escape of heat through the walls of said container, rotating said container during the carbonization of the material therein, removing from said container the vapors and gases evolved from the material, and upon completion of the carbonization removing from said-container and collecting the carbonized residue.

3. A carbonizing process burning fuel within a heat absorbing container until a suflicient quantity of heat has been stored therein to carbonize a predetermined quantity of solid material, then discontinuing the burning and introducing to said container a charge of solid carbonaceous material having a volatile hydrocarbon content, maintaining carbonizing conditions within said container and thereby carbonizing said material by heat transferred thereto from the container while substantially preventing the escape of heat through the walls of said container, moving said container during the carbonization of the material therein, removing from said contalner the vapors and gases evolved from the material, and upon completion of the carbomzation removing from said container and collecting the carbonized residue.

4. A carbonizing process which comprises burning fuel within a heat absorbing container until a suflicient quantity of heat has been stored therein to carbonizea predetermined quantity of solid material, then discontinuing the burning and introducing to said container a charge of solid carbonaceous material having a volatile hydrocarbon content, maintaining carboniz' conditions within said container and there y carboniz ing said material by heat transferred thereto from the container while substantially preventing the escape of heat through the walls of sai container, rotating said container during the carbonization of the material therein, removing from said container the vapors and gases evolved from the material, and upon completion of the carbonization removing from said container and collecting the carbonized residue.

5. A carbonizing process as defined in claim- 4' further characterized in thatsaid container is rotated during the burning of fuel therein.

6. A'carbonizing process which comprises storing a sufiicient quantity of heat in a heat absorbing. container to carbonize a predetermined quantity 0t solid material by the which comprises direct application of heat thereto, discontin- A container during its carbonization, remov-- mg and collecting the vapors and gases evolved in said container, and recovering the carbonized residue upon completion of the heat treatment.

- 7 A process for the destructive distillation of hydrocarbon material having a volatile content which comprises first storing in the walls of a heat absorbing container, by direct application of heat thereto, a sufiiciet quantity of heat to destructively distill a predetermined quantity of the hydrocarbon material, then discontinuing the application of heat to said container and introducing thereinto the predetermined quantity of the hydrocarbon material, destructively distill, ing the material in said container by contact with and heat'transferred from the walls of the container while substantially preventing the escape of heat from said walls to the exterior of the container, rotating said container during the destructive distillation of the material therein, and removing from said container the vapors and gases evolved from the material.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTER EDWIN TRENT. 

